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pagesofnay's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Fraternity is a queer, dark academia set in the ‘90s. There is magic involved and it was such a chilling and atmospheric read.
This story was very compelling. As soon as I started the audiobook, I couldn’t turn it off. The writing was great, it flowed really well. It was a quick and easy listen. The queer history that was included in the book was enlightening. It’s mot often you read a book that brings up important social issues and queer politics from the ‘90s while being blended with fiction that is done so well.
I loved how it had multiple point of views. Each character has such a distinct narrative and it’s interesting to switch between them. The story follows Zooey, Daniel, and Leo. They are very well written and I loved their relationships with one another.
This book was quite the read and I most definitely will be rereading. Thank you NetGalley and publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
This story was very compelling. As soon as I started the audiobook, I couldn’t turn it off. The writing was great, it flowed really well. It was a quick and easy listen. The queer history that was included in the book was enlightening. It’s mot often you read a book that brings up important social issues and queer politics from the ‘90s while being blended with fiction that is done so well.
I loved how it had multiple point of views. Each character has such a distinct narrative and it’s interesting to switch between them. The story follows Zooey, Daniel, and Leo. They are very well written and I loved their relationships with one another.
This book was quite the read and I most definitely will be rereading. Thank you NetGalley and publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Bullying, and Death
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Racism, and Vomit
Minor: Deadnaming, Sexual assault, and Racial slurs
avidreaderandgeekgirl's review
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Thank you to RB Media through Netgalley for the audio arc!
All opinions are my own.
I LOVED the narration! Having each MC have their own narrator enhanced the story.
This was a great book and very true to the times in terms of how queer people were treated. And that the author didn't shy away from the language. I loved that it was set in 1991 as it was able to include more queer historical elements, as the author said than 2001 would have had.
The main characters were great. Very lovable, I think Leo was my favorite. They were very well fleshed out. I just wish that some of the other characters besides the primary 4 were more full characters. Like maybe if the bully had a more extensive backstory. Or more from Lucas would have been great!
I'm a sucker for dark academia which is probably one reason why I really enjoyed it. It was a great setting, but I also enjoyed the parts outside of it. I like that this tackled hard topics as well as being funny.
Overall a great book!
All opinions are my own.
I LOVED the narration! Having each MC have their own narrator enhanced the story.
This was a great book and very true to the times in terms of how queer people were treated. And that the author didn't shy away from the language. I loved that it was set in 1991 as it was able to include more queer historical elements, as the author said than 2001 would have had.
The main characters were great. Very lovable, I think Leo was my favorite. They were very well fleshed out. I just wish that some of the other characters besides the primary 4 were more full characters. Like maybe if the bully had a more extensive backstory. Or more from Lucas would have been great!
I'm a sucker for dark academia which is probably one reason why I really enjoyed it. It was a great setting, but I also enjoyed the parts outside of it. I like that this tackled hard topics as well as being funny.
Overall a great book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Terminal illness, Homophobia, Death of parent, and Death
Moderate: Drug use, Adult/minor relationship, Vomit, Cancer, and Racism
Minor: Racial slurs
This is mostly in a historical context, so it's true to the times in which the book takes place the 1990s.elizabeth_delozier's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
A YA, paranormal, gay, dark academia story that takes place amid the AIDS crisis, told from multiple POVs (Zooey, Daniel, and Leo).
Please mind the trigger warnings (listed below) and take care of your mental health while reading this story and review.
Zooey is a gay teen who transfers to an elite all-boys boarding school following bullying and abuse at his previous school. He finds himself experiencing similar bullying at the new school. He also finds himself making new friends who share in his queer identity and have a secret society of for queer students. Daniel is a Black, gay teen who is living a bit of a double life: the popular jock and the romantic gay kid, secretly in love, and wrapped up in dark magic. Leo is an openly gay, effeminate, and quirky, also wrapped up in dark magic and doesn't initially want to disentangle himself from the dark magic that has previously helped him get by in the rather hostile environment of the boarding school. The boys find themselves in over their heads both with dark magic and in managing their emotions and finding acceptance in their identities.
I felt conflicted while reading this story and had to give myself some time to process my thoughts on the story afterwards. The author depicted difficulties of living during the AIDS crisis well, really pulling those awful emotions from the reader. It was clear that the author was able to pull some of the content regarding the difficulties of being queer in the 90s from his own experience.
However, what I had to reflect on was the authors writing of a Black main character and this character's experience of racism. Daniel experiences near constant overt racism, racial slurs, and harmful racial stereotypes by his peers throughout the story. The author's portrayal of this racism was not necessary for the story or development and, in my opinion, was poorly handled.
The author does say the following in his author's note at the beginning of the book where he also listed TWs regarding racism and homophobia: "To not include these details would be to white wash history and deny the characters the reality of their intersectional experiences as they would have lived them."
While, I understand the idea of not wanting to "white wash history," I also want authors to understand that if they cannot depict these experiences in a respectful manner, they are doing more harm than good. It is clear that this author did not have enough sensitivity readers for this book or simply didn't care. What purpose did those slurs serve? What purpose did those harmful stereotypes serve? They surely didn't add to character or story development. The author also uses his unique writing style to not include other difficult to discuss details (e.g., the death of a parent) by having the narrator state "I'm not going to go into detail here" or "You'll understand why I don't want to repeat XX." So, why couldn't the author have done the same by referencing that the character experienced slurs without writing such harmful words into the story...onto the page for readers to experience. The author should reflect on this.
Overall, I did enjoy this paranormal dark academia story and I enjoyed seeing the characters grow to accept their queerness. However, for the poorly handled inclusion of racist experiences noted above, I will not be recommending this story to anyone.
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Andy Mientus, Kyle Beltran, and Daniel K. Isaac, via NetGalley. An advanced reader's copy of this audiobook was provided to me via NetGalley by RB Media in exchange for an honest review.
TWs: racism, racial slurs, homophobia, internalized biphobia, homophobic slurs, a conversion camp, discrimination on the bases of races and sexual orientation, bullying and assault, death, death of a parent, grief, child abuse, references to a sexual relationship between an adult and a minor, medical content, suicidal thoughts
Please mind the trigger warnings (listed below) and take care of your mental health while reading this story and review.
Zooey is a gay teen who transfers to an elite all-boys boarding school following bullying and abuse at his previous school. He finds himself experiencing similar bullying at the new school. He also finds himself making new friends who share in his queer identity and have a secret society of for queer students. Daniel is a Black, gay teen who is living a bit of a double life: the popular jock and the romantic gay kid, secretly in love, and wrapped up in dark magic. Leo is an openly gay, effeminate, and quirky, also wrapped up in dark magic and doesn't initially want to disentangle himself from the dark magic that has previously helped him get by in the rather hostile environment of the boarding school. The boys find themselves in over their heads both with dark magic and in managing their emotions and finding acceptance in their identities.
I felt conflicted while reading this story and had to give myself some time to process my thoughts on the story afterwards. The author depicted difficulties of living during the AIDS crisis well, really pulling those awful emotions from the reader. It was clear that the author was able to pull some of the content regarding the difficulties of being queer in the 90s from his own experience.
However, what I had to reflect on was the authors writing of a Black main character and this character's experience of racism. Daniel experiences near constant overt racism, racial slurs, and harmful racial stereotypes by his peers throughout the story. The author's portrayal of this racism was not necessary for the story or development and, in my opinion, was poorly handled.
The author does say the following in his author's note at the beginning of the book where he also listed TWs regarding racism and homophobia: "To not include these details would be to white wash history and deny the characters the reality of their intersectional experiences as they would have lived them."
While, I understand the idea of not wanting to "white wash history," I also want authors to understand that if they cannot depict these experiences in a respectful manner, they are doing more harm than good. It is clear that this author did not have enough sensitivity readers for this book or simply didn't care. What purpose did those slurs serve? What purpose did those harmful stereotypes serve? They surely didn't add to character or story development. The author also uses his unique writing style to not include other difficult to discuss details (e.g., the death of a parent) by having the narrator state "I'm not going to go into detail here" or "You'll understand why I don't want to repeat XX." So, why couldn't the author have done the same by referencing that the character experienced slurs without writing such harmful words into the story...onto the page for readers to experience. The author should reflect on this.
Overall, I did enjoy this paranormal dark academia story and I enjoyed seeing the characters grow to accept their queerness. However, for the poorly handled inclusion of racist experiences noted above, I will not be recommending this story to anyone.
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Andy Mientus, Kyle Beltran, and Daniel K. Isaac, via NetGalley. An advanced reader's copy of this audiobook was provided to me via NetGalley by RB Media in exchange for an honest review.
TWs: racism, racial slurs, homophobia, internalized biphobia, homophobic slurs, a conversion camp, discrimination on the bases of races and sexual orientation, bullying and assault, death, death of a parent, grief, child abuse, references to a sexual relationship between an adult and a minor, medical content, suicidal thoughts
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Bullying, Child abuse, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, and Racism
Moderate: Biphobia, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
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